Safety at AMS

Students or parents in the school community can anonymously report any suspicious activity, bullying, or other student related issues. We encourage you to report important issues. If you feel unsafe or know someone who feels unsafe, please report it here.

We are committed to conducting a prompt and thorough investigation of every complaint of bullying as defined by this Policy. We strictly prohibit pupils from harassing, intimidating, and bullying other pupils on school grounds, on school property, on school buses, at school bus stops, at school sponsored events and activities, and through the use of electronic technology or electronic communication.

Training and Education

The school will provide education and information to students regarding bullying.

Reporting Procedures

Pupils, parents and school employees can confidentially report to school official’s incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying. Forms are available at the school front desk and are designed for the reporting individual to provide full and detailed description of the incident and any other relevant information about the incident. Oral reports made to any staff member will be considered as complaints as well.

Notice

All pupils with a written copy of this policy. This document also will be provided to alleged student victims at the time an incident is reported as well. Documentation related to the incident will be maintained for at least six years in the office of the student dean. The school shall not use that documentation to impose disciplinary action unless the appropriate school official has investigated and determined that the reported incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying occurred. If a school provides documentation of reported incidents to persons other than school officials or law enforcement, all individually identifiable information shall be redacted.

Investigative Procedures

Upon completion of the investigation, the school will take appropriate action. Such action may include, but is not limited to, warning, suspension, exclusion, or expulsion. Disciplinary consequences will be sufficiently severe to try to deter violations and to appropriately discipline prohibited behavior. The incident may be reported to law enforcement as well.

The school is not authorized to disclose to a victim private educational or personal data regarding an alleged perpetrator who is a student or employee of the school. All staff will maintain confidentiality, or the incident and all parties involved. An appeal of the investigation outcome may be made to the supervisor of the investigator. This appeal must be in writing. The final decision of appeals will be with the Governing Board of the school.

Reports of bullying are classified as private educational and/or personal data and/or confidential investigative data and will not be disclosed except as permitted by law.

Reporting without fear of retaliation

Submission of good faith complaint or report of bullying will not affect the complainant’s or reporter’s future grades or educational environment. School will respect the privacy of the complainant(s), the individual(s) against whom the complaint is filed, and the witnesses as much as possible, consistent with the school’s obligation to investigate, take appropriate action, and comply with any legal disclosure obligations. No retaliation will be allowed as a result of the reporting of a bullying incident.

False Reporting

Students who have admitted or been found to have submitted false reports of incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying will be subject to disciplinary actions at the discretion of the principal or principal's designee. Disciplinary action may include, but is not limited to, warning, suspension, exclusion, expulsion, remediation, termination, or discharge. Disciplinary consequences will be sufficiently severe to try to deter violations and to appropriately discipline prohibited behavior.

Procedures to contact emergency medical services and / or law enforcement

agencies

If a pupil is an alleged victim of harassment, intimidation or bullying and has been physically harmed as a result of the alleged action, emergency medical services and/or law enforcement shall be contacted immediately by the nearest staff member or student, if no staff member is present.

Definitions

Harassment: continued persistent attacks and criticism

Intimidation: to frighten in order to make someone do something they do not want to do

Bullying: unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.

“A student is being bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to

negative actions on the part of one or more other students” (Olweus, 1993). Bullying behavior is meant to hurt another person and is carried out by someone who is seeking power or control over another person. There are three forms of bullying – physical, emotional, and social. Various resources are available for students, parents, school staff, administrators, and community members to assist in bullying prevention.